Cross awoke the next morning feeling fairly unrefreshed. He'd heard the others come home last night. Hell, he'd heard DK panicking, but hadn't bothered with following them. If the ice guy wanted to go off on his own for a bit, who were they to stop him? He wasn't there to baby sit an unruly ice spirit. However, he couldn't stop thinking about what Batsu had said the day before. He'd seen mountains while in his body. Mountains that might have held the key to his unremembered past. It left Cross feeling...unusually excited. Not that something like excitement ever showed on his face. So when he woke, he went downstairs and outside, only to fly himself to the roof of the house, which he sat on quite casually. If it weren't for his wings, he would have sat on the swing on the porch. When he'd come out into the front yard, he'd noticed Boreas laying down in his form of an ice wolf. The guy had ignored him completely and just stared off into the forest. Cross didn't much mind it. But he was...eager for Batsu to get up, since the guy had said he'd try and take him to the mountains he'd seen.

Batsu was sleep in his room. Someone between last night and this morning he had managed to move their. He woke maybe half an hour after Cross. Slowly making his way to the front of the house he went to check on Boreas, finding the guy still in his ice form was a bit strange. "You're not going to get stuck like that are you?" He then looked to the roof. "Morning Cross." That was human like, correct? He wondered where Saionna was. Maybe she would walk with him today and maybe have Boreas accompany him so that the guy didn't feel so down. He stretched his wings. He wasn't really expecting to take Cross to the mountains right now.

________________________________________________________________________"The white soul can't protect you forever and the Flower will soon wither. The dragon knows the truth, and when the spirit of the water strikes it deal, darkness will rise and humanity will weep." ~Uriyuu

Boreas looked to Batsu as the guy cam out of the house and questioned him on whether or not he'd get stuck like that. He only shook his head. He didn't think he would. And if he did, that was perfectly okay too. He liked this form. It was far more free. He couldn't express himself as easily, but that was okay too. He laid his head back on his paws and turned his gaze back to the forest. He wasn't feeling up for much today.

Cross nodded a reply to Batsu's greeting and replied with a simple "Good morning." He was quiet for a few moments as Batsu stretched his wings. He'd nearly forgotten that the guy's wings weren't in the best of shape anymore. "How are your wings," he asked, looking down to the red haired male.

Batsu was going to take that as though Boreas would be fine. "If you say so." He then looked up to Cross. "I spent the night in the Unknown so they have recovered," he said with a small shrug. A night that had ended up with him having to keep Saionna and Boreas from tearing each other apart. Deciding to leave the ice chakra be, he went over to join Cross. He felt like the guy had wanted something, so he'd make this a bit more easier for Cross. That or maybe he just had bad intuition, which he would not deny. He didn't exactly know how a normal world worked. He had always been hell bent on killing up until recently. He wouldn't mind devouring a few souls, but that was something he had to stop doing, even if it was a creature of madness, because underneath the madness was an innocent soul. "Care to fly?"

________________________________________________________________________"The white soul can't protect you forever and the Flower will soon wither. The dragon knows the truth, and when the spirit of the water strikes it deal, darkness will rise and humanity will weep." ~Uriyuu

Good. Batsu's wings were well enough for flying then. When the red haired male asked him, Cross nodded lightly, slipping off the roof and beating his wings once so that he would land lightly. "Will you take me to the mountains you saw when you had my body," he asked. The question sounded more like "is that where we're going" rather than "will you take me there". He didn't mind that Boreas had heard where they might be going. Hell, maybe the creature could tell Alice where he'd gone off to with Batsu. He was sure the child might be a bit worried about not seeing him immediately when she woke up. She would be fine though. She was with DK, and Boreas would be there as well. While Boreas wasn't the most reliable, Alice knew how to escape from danger if it arose, so it would be okay.

Batsu was able to distinguish the difference and smiled. "Sure thing," he said as he started to walk in the opposite direction of the woods. "Boreas, we'll be back later," called over his shoulder before he started into the sky. Where exactly had he seen the village. It was mere flashes, so a scent would have been much easier to trace. He started high into the sky, letting the direction of the wind take him for the time being. Mountains with winged people like Cross. He let the memory flood his mind again. He could never capture all of it, just bits and pieces, but it was enough for a general location. "We're going to be flying for a while," he told the other male.

________________________________________________________________________"The white soul can't protect you forever and the Flower will soon wither. The dragon knows the truth, and when the spirit of the water strikes it deal, darkness will rise and humanity will weep." ~Uriyuu

Boreas gave a small chuff in response to Batsu's words and laid his head down again. He was tired, but didn't want to sleep, just in case She came back. He glanced in the direction where he heard beating wings before giving a small sigh.

Cross, on the other hand, followed behind Batsu without hesitation. It didn't show, but he was excited. Was there really a place with people like him? If that was true...if there really were others like him, it would mean that he really hadn't been created for the sole purpose of protecting Alice. Something like this could completely restore his faith in Silence. He wanted that. Silence's child gave his life meaning. He didn't remember his life before her. But this could change everything. Give him some kind of feeling, instead of just a stone heart. "That's fine," he told Batsu. He was starting to relish the feel of the air on his face in this sense of excitement. For once, his jade green eyes gave a bit of the sense of excitement he was feeling.

Batsu withheld a small chuckle. He was also enjoying the feel of the wind. Not being able to fly made him feel useless. His grey eyes looked down. "The village is well hidden by clouds, even though it's located on the tallest mountain. On a summit, if my memory serves me right." He looked back at Cross. They were alike. Neither knew their past, and while Batsu had gotten pieces, he still didn't know the whole story or understand it. He just knew that Izo had betrayed him and had tried to make things right.

________________________________________________________________________"The white soul can't protect you forever and the Flower will soon wither. The dragon knows the truth, and when the spirit of the water strikes it deal, darkness will rise and humanity will weep." ~Uriyuu

Cross racked his mind for any glimpse of the place that Batsu was telling him of. He couldn't remember a damn thing about it. That bothered him though. If this place really did exist, and Batsu knew it from his memories...why couldn't he remember it? Was there some good reason for it? Cross kept his eyes peeled the entire time they were flying. He didn't know what he was looking for, but he was sure he would recognize something. Sure enough, when they got to a more mountainous region, Cross started feeling a sense of familiarity. Alice had always tried to keep him away from mountains, so he'd never really had a chance to see them from the air up close like this.

Once he spotted the tallest of the mountains among them, he slowed down and kept himself in place, looking at the mountain. He recognized it. He remembered something, but just a glimpse of him flying towards it. He...he might've been laughing while he'd been flying towards it, talking with somebody behind him who he couldn't see. (Think flashback in black and white for memories from here on out.) Cross only hesitated a moment before he flew towards the mountain. "This place is a bit familiar to me," he told Batsu, looking towards the red haired male. Cross flew up towards the top of the mountain, hidden in the clouds, picking up speed as he went. He couldn't help it. He wanted to see. He wanted to remember. Once he landed on what looked to be a landing platform just below the summit, on the side of the mountain, the raven haired male started up the skillfully crafted set of stairs that led to the summit. To the village. Cross at least remembered that much. There was a village on the top of this summit. The first things he saw were the tops of buildings, the roofs. And then the marble structure of the buildings themselves. Everything was polished and beautiful. He remembered walking up these stairs. Talking with someone, though he didn't remember who. He was sure it was a male though. He caught brief glimpses of short blond hair in his memories. However, Cross stopped after walking several steps off the staircase, his jade eyes wide. Every building was perfect, and the fountain that led down this main street still flowed. There was really only one street with a multitude of one floor houses. There were several small side streets, and almost everybody was out of there homes. There were exactly twenty people outside. They were all smiling or laughing, and a couple looked to be having a serious discussion. There was a little kid, running through the street. All of them had wings like Cross's, just like Cross was beginning to remember.

But there was one thing missing: Life.

None of these people were moving. In fact...they all looked like stone statues. As if all of them had been turned to stone during the course of their daily lives. Cross slowly walked forward, his jade eyes wide. He walked towards a woman with long brown hair that had been fallen around her shoulders. She was beautiful. Cross remembered her. Elysia*. She had kept the food fresh that the hunters had gathered. Next to her, chatting happily, was Chridian. The first of Cross's quiet tears fell and he put his hand on the side of the statue's face. Chridian. His best friend. All the memories came flooding back. Going out hunting with Chridian. Racing back to the mountaintop with grins and his stupid jokes. And now...now he was gone. Chridian, and Elysia...Jahnna. Cross slowly pulled his hand away and looked around. Jahnna. Where was she? The raven haired male had completely forgotten about Batsu, lost in the tragedy of his village, the images of all his loved ones set into stone for eternity. "Jahnna," he called, but his voice was barely even a whisper. He started looking around the street, and nearly fell to his knees when he saw her. She was one of the only two people on the street holding a serious discussion with someone. He walked over to the statue, looking it over, as if he was sure he wasn't seeing correctly. "Jahnna," he breathed, as more tears spilled over and he slowly put his arms around the statue, his head resting against it and his wings fallen.

And at the end of the main street, was a shrine. Inside the shrine, a statue of marble in Silence's image.

Batsu let Cross take the lead. The red haired male flew quickly, his eyes scanning the mountain for any signs of life. Once they made it to the village, he blinked confused. It shouldn't be this way. No, it should be lively with people, not statues caught in the moments of their everyday lives. The grey eyed male walked slowly through the village, his eyes scanning the buildings. It was like a painting. He wondered what had happened. The memories must have been before this, but Cross was clearly regaining his memories. The names were odd and unique. He stopped when he spotted the statue of Silence. Had Silence done this? He glanced to Cross who was hugging a statue of a woman. He decided not to interrupt. He didn't understand feelings like that, only whenever Saionna would hug him and even then it was strange.

________________________________________________________________________"The white soul can't protect you forever and the Flower will soon wither. The dragon knows the truth, and when the spirit of the water strikes it deal, darkness will rise and humanity will weep." ~Uriyuu

Cross stayed hanging onto the statue for a good long while. Why? Why Jahnna? Why Chridian and Elysia, and Hyndri and Toris and Gelliel? Why had this happened? He was starting to remember what had happened. What he'd come home to that one day. He'd gone out by himself because him and Chridian had a dare. A dare that he couldn't keep from talking to Jahnna for one full day, from dawn to dusk, not even if he tried his hardest to stay away. Cross had never turned down a dare before. And he hadn't that day either. However, when dusk came and he'd returned home, he'd been a little surprised, and more than confused, when he'd walked up the stairs from the landing and heard no sounds. Usually it was still lively and giddy around this time of night. And the lanterns on the streets weren't lit, so it was dark. When he'd gotten up the stairs, he'd stopped and looked around, wondering why everybody had stopped moving and was looking at him as if he'd done something wrong. But, that had only been his first impression. He'd thought at first that they'd been looking at him. But then as he slowly, nervously walked forward...he realized it. They weren't looking at him. They weren't even moving at all, or breathing, or looking at anything. There was no ruffling of wings or laughter of children. It was dead silent. And everyone...everyone was stone. He didn't know what had happened. He'd never found out, either. All he knew was that he'd tried to go to find Silence to revive his people, and then he ran into a little white haired child while in Silence's domain. Even without her statue depicted in the village he'd known who she was. Silence's daughter. He'd explained his situation to her and she'd brought him to her father. He'd asked of him to revive his village, to bring them back to life. Silence had agreed. And in exchange, Cross was to protect his daughter. He'd agreed without hesitation, but had first asked to go see his village, his family. Silence had let him go, but when Cross had returned to the mountain, he'd found that the village was still in stone. He'd returned to the Unknown, distraught that their deity would lie to him, only to find the little girl again. And then...that was where his memories stopped. That was when he'd lost them. Alice...Alice had wiped his memories.

Cross slowly moved from the stone statue in the image of Jahnna. Silence had truly lied. Not about his birth, but about this. He'd never really brought them back. Cross wondered if he had ever intended to. His shoulders fallen and head bowed, Cross walked down the street towards the shrine and the statue in Silence's image. At the foot of the statue laid a sword in an intricately detailed sheath. It was there to honor their 'deity'. But a small bit of defiance, and small bit of rage drove the winged male to take the sword and attach it to his side. It would be a reminder that his people were not okay. A reminder that Silence wasn't to be trusted. "I need to go speak with Silence," he growled lightly, his jade eyes a mix of emotions. One of those emotions was fueled by a sense of betrayal: anger. If Silence didn't have a good explanation for this, he could keep his damn daughter. The deal was done. Deity or not, Silence had not held up his end of the deal.

Batsu turned quickly at the sound of Cross. It was the first time he'd heard the guy sound angry or show any emotion for that matter. He quickly went to join the other, nodding lightly. "Okay," he said quietly. "Do you want me to go back home," he asked. He didn't know what to do. He was a bit unnerved by the events that were occurring. What had caused him to lose his memory while his people were frozen in time? Batsu's wings stretched, ready for flight. He suddenly felt very in the dark about things.

________________________________________________________________________"The white soul can't protect you forever and the Flower will soon wither. The dragon knows the truth, and when the spirit of the water strikes it deal, darkness will rise and humanity will weep." ~Uriyuu

"I don't care. But if you do go back, tell them that I might not come back." His eyes dark, Cross turned and started down the street, towards the stairs that went down to the landing platform. He could have taken off from right in the middle of the street, but...a sense of respect and nostalgia swayed him from doing so. Before he went down the first step, he stopped and looked back at his village. His heart ached at the sight, and he could feel a sensation similar to when Oblivion had pumped him full of Madness. It was spreading within him and for once, he could honestly say he didn't care. That wasn't what mattered anymore. His people were dead. His family, his village, his best friend, his love. They were all gone. Alice no longer mattered to him. At least, not by comparison. Cross turned, his head bowed as he walked down the stairs. Once he was on the landing platform, he slowly spread his wings and took off with one single, powerful beat.

Batsu blinked. What the hell was that supposed to mean? Maybe he should stick with Cross, just in case. He slowly followed after the other, keeping his distance just for the sake of not pissing the guy off. His wings flapped as he moved through the air, making their way to the Unknown. What did he have to speak with Silence for? Did Silence do this? Batsu was beginning to regret bringing Cross here. He should have checked this place first.

________________________________________________________________________"The white soul can't protect you forever and the Flower will soon wither. The dragon knows the truth, and when the spirit of the water strikes it deal, darkness will rise and humanity will weep." ~Uriyuu

Cross truly didn't care if Batsu was going with him. This had nothing to do with him, so if he wanted to tag along, who cared. The raven haired male flew through the gates of the Unknown, and a little ways into it before he touched down. "Silence!" he called, his jade eyes looking around the place. The anger in his voice was a testament to the fact that Cross was definitely not his usual self. He had his hand on the hilt of the sword, but had no intentions of drawing it. Hell, he didn't know why he'd taken it to begin with. Maybe to throw at the guy.

Silence appeared as his name was called. The black eyed being looked at the two winged creatures. It was obvious that he was confused as to why Cross was suddenly acting differently. He may have been a guardian of the unknown, but he didn't know everything. The white haired man peered at the two. "Yes Cross?" He was curious as to where his daughter was at, but that could wait. A change in Cross's personality was of concern to him. Batsu stayed still, his wings fluffed up behind him.

________________________________________________________________________"The white soul can't protect you forever and the Flower will soon wither. The dragon knows the truth, and when the spirit of the water strikes it deal, darkness will rise and humanity will weep." ~Uriyuu

Cross's feathered ruffled in irritation when Silence appeared, and his jade eyes narrowed. "You didn't keep your word. You said if I watched over and protected Alice, you would revive my people. I was just home, and they're as I'd left them that day." It was taking all his willpower to resist lashing out at the guardian, because he knew it would end badly for him. "Why? I came to you, and asked you to help me, and they're still dead!" He growled, his wings fluffing in anger. "I've held up my end of the deal!"

Silence listened and understood Cross's resentment. "I tried, but it is beyond my power. I awaited your return, but you never did. Then I found you with Alice. I want to help you, for you have done me a great service, but I have no power over the mountain. I apologize. I will continue to find a way."

________________________________________________________________________"The white soul can't protect you forever and the Flower will soon wither. The dragon knows the truth, and when the spirit of the water strikes it deal, darkness will rise and humanity will weep." ~Uriyuu

Cross's wings fell and a look of disbelief crossed over his face when Silence said it was beyond his power. "But you're a god. How can you not have power over the very people who worshiped you?" The anger faded from his eyes and was replaced with a look of sadness. If Silence had no power to save them, who did? If Silence couldn't do anything, what hope was there for reviving his people? It had been hundreds of years since he'd found Alice. What if it was far too late? But...even if there was a small chance that Silence really could find a way, Cross wouldn't give up hope. Not yet. Not until that mountain withered away and those statues crumbled would he ever give up hope for them. The raven haired male looked to the ground. It could have either been in reverence for Silence, or in defeat. "I'll continue watching over Alice until then," he said quietly, his jade eyes narrowed lightly. Now that he remembered their faces, and their voices, and the times spent with them...Cross missed his village dearly.

"I am a guardian of the Unknown, there are other deities Cross. Whatever controls the mountain where your village lies possesses a greater strength than I." He looked to Batsu, who was listening just as closely. Did the red haired male have something in mind? "I wish to protect all, but there are greater forces at work, like that of Madness." He kind of told Cross that was priority, but he would still help. "Take care of my daughter and I will continue to try and grant your wish. Batsu, is there something you wish to say?" The grey eyed male shook his head lightly. "I was just thinking about if we could find the source then maybe we could bargain with it." He shrugged. "It's none of my business." He fluffed his wings and then rocked back and forth, his hands in his hoodie.

________________________________________________________________________"The white soul can't protect you forever and the Flower will soon wither. The dragon knows the truth, and when the spirit of the water strikes it deal, darkness will rise and humanity will weep." ~Uriyuu

Whatever controls the mountain? There was nothing that controlled the mountain, to Cross's knowledge. When Silence mentioned Madness, the raven haired male nearly sighed. Yes, getting rid of Madness was important. But maybe his people would be able to help. Jade eyes looked down. No. Perhaps it would be better to wait until all this had passed before having them revived. But then there was the chance that the mountain could be destroyed in the chaos. "I understand." He could look after Alice a while longer. Though he wasn't particularly happy with what she'd done to him, now that he remembered it. He wouldn't bring it up to Silence though, because he had a fair idea of why Alice had done it. His gaze turned to Batsu at his words and for a minute he felt a bit dumbfounded. He'd never really been concerned with why or how they'd been turned that way, only with reviving them. What if something, some other god had truly done that to his people? "Batsu...I know it's a lot to ask, but I would like your help in figuring this out. There's never been a god of the mountain that I'm aware of, or any other source of power within the mountain, but if there is...if it's possible, I'd rather not go confront him alone." It wasn't that he was afraid of the god, it was just that he might not have the right words to say to the creature. And even if something like this didn't seem like much, Cross knew he had never exactly been friendly or trustful towards Batsu, and he also knew that the other winged male knew it. But he was desperate now. He needed to see his villagers alive and well, and laughing. It would give him something more to protect. It would give him a real reason to want to eradicate Madness from this world.

Silence looked at the two before he started away. "Good luck on your journey." He disappeared into the darkness of the Unknown, returning to wherever it was that he'd come from. Batsu looked at Cross when the other spoke to him. He had a wry look on his face. "It's not a lot," he said with a shrug. "I don't mind. You've saved me quite a few times, so I'll just look at this as if I'm returning the favor." His grey eyes shone as he turned away from Cross and started out of the Unknown. It was weird having Cross ask for help. At least he wasn't cold and distant anymore. Once outside of the Unknown he looked in the direction of home and then in the direction of the mountain. Should they tell the others that they were going on a side mission? He figured it'd be a good idea, but he had told Boreas that they would be gone for a while. Was Boreas even coming out of his slump? How was Saionna doing after yesterday? Ah, Hunter would take care of them. "Lead the way," Batsu told the jade eyed male.

________________________________________________________________________"The white soul can't protect you forever and the Flower will soon wither. The dragon knows the truth, and when the spirit of the water strikes it deal, darkness will rise and humanity will weep." ~Uriyuu

Cross gave an incline of his head towards the guardian of the Unknown as he left before taking a small breath. Figuring out what happened to his people was, to the winged male, far more important than letting the others know where they were. "Thank you," he said, almost quietly, when Batsu said he would help him. He started out of the Unknown, his mind reeling with options. What could possibly have done that to his people? He'd never known of a mountain god or anything like that, and there had been no evidence left behind. Cross's shoulders slumped a bit. If there was no way to save them...then he'd much rather join them. He knew it wasn't what they would want for him, but now that he remembered them he couldn't bear being apart from them any longer. He beat his wings down and took off towards the mountain when Batsu told him to lead the way. All he knew was that they needed to look for some sort of clue. And he had to fill Batsu in on a bit of the village's history, maybe.

Boreas was still laying on the ground next to the porch. He hadn't even realized that much time had passed since Batsu and Cross had left. He didn't care much. And he wasn't very hungry, even though usually by this time he was starving. And even though he hadn't slept all night, he didn't feel tired. In fact, he felt more restless than anything. I want to go find her again...but I don't want to have the others come looking for me again...there's just no win-win here...

DK walked outside with a plate of breakfast that Hunter had made for them. He went over to Boreas and sat down on top of him. "You hungry? Hunter made breakfast. If not I'll eat it myself. Where'd Batsu and Cross go, they've been gone all morning. Maybe we should go look for them," he said. The purple haired boy rubbed Boreas behind the ears and ate a slice of bacon. "You want to go find that woman, don't you? I bet you could sniff her out easily. If you tell me where our two winged friends are I'll go with you to find her."

Batsu spread his wings and took off as well. The grey eyed male wondered if they would find the answers they were looking for. He wanted to be able to help Cross, as the other had done for him. He glanced at the sun. They were alike and yet different. Both had lost it all, and both felt betrayed. He sighed. Was there any hope left in this world, or would darkness wash it all out?

________________________________________________________________________"The white soul can't protect you forever and the Flower will soon wither. The dragon knows the truth, and when the spirit of the water strikes it deal, darkness will rise and humanity will weep." ~Uriyuu

Boreas blinked and slowly lifted his head when DK sat on top of him. He turned his gaze to the small child, and was surprised when he found that the kid wasn't freezing over from sitting on him. Maybe it was only when he was in his human form. He shook his head when DK asked if he was hungry. He wasn't. He couldn't eat. Couldn't sleep. Didn't seem like either held much appeal to him. He shrugged lightly at DK's question, unintentionally moving his head against DK's hand when the kid pet him. When he realized it, he pulled away and shook his head out much like a dog or cat would've before giving a small huff. He wasn't some tamed mutt. However, when the little dragon mentioned the woman, Boreas's ears drooped a bit and he looked off to the side. He wanted to go find her. But he knew he wouldn't be able to pull himself away from her if he saw her again. He laid his head back down at DK's offer and gave another small huff. If DK hadn't been sitting on him, he would've turned back into a human. But he didn't feel like laying on the ground as a human with DK sitting on his back.